K.K. Downing clarified why metal fans shouldn’t be split between Judas Priest and KK’s Priest in a recent interview with Guitar World. 2020 saw the guitarist leave Judas Priest and team up with Tim “Ripper” Owens to form KK’s Priest. At first, Downing claimed that he was tired of his previous band and felt helpless there, and that he was finding it hard to move on from the past and join a new one. He then stated the following in response to the interviewer’s assertion that metal fans don’t have to choose between Judas Priest and KK’s Priest: Since I am the same player, I have KK’s Priest instead of K.K. from Judas Priest. The same articulation belongs to me. I’m sticking with the same speakers and amplifiers and my definition of what makes a great song. Regarding what creates a nice lead sound and a decent guitar sound, I agree with you. I’m only carrying out my initial course of action. He was questioned again about if the style of KK’s Priest was reminiscent of the early Judas Priest. After expressing his opinions on that, the musician talked about: “Not really, considering how little I knew about music at the time. That was fine for the occasion.
It feels more like I’m starting over right now with this relatively unknown band. He went on to elaborate, stating that without knowing the precise scales at the time, they primarily employed major and minor scales along with a few chromatic and artistic aspects. Having gained more knowledge and expertise, he now adds different scales, such as the Ionian and harmonic minor. However, Downing has been applying his Judas Priest experiences to his new project. On September 29, KK’s Priest released their second album, titled “The Sinner Rides Again.” In an October interview with Consequence, the guitarist discussed the project, stating that it was an extension of their debut album. The second album purposefully got a little more edgy, whereas the first album had a more nostalgic vibe. Then he explained how his time as a priest had enabled him to do that, pointing out: “For the new record, I reasoned that we should step it up a notch and take a cue from [Judas Priest]’s ‘Painkiller,’ which they did after ‘Ram It Down.'” We simply took it a little too seriously. So I believe that the second album has a little bit of that. Otherwise, though, I believe that both albums would sound identical to me if they shared the same production.
